Police arrest Lima man after standoff, child unharmed

LIMA — A Lima man faces suspicion of kidnapping charges after a standoff lasting several hours. A child inside the residence with him was unharmed.

According to a news release by the Lima Police Department, at around 3 a.m. Sunday, Aaron Thomas, 36, got into a fight with a female acquaintance at 813 Holly St. He then forced the woman to go with him to her bank in an attempt to withdraw money from her account. She was able to get away and called the police.

Officers went back to the Holly Street location, found his car, tried to get him to come out but he wouldn’t answer the door.

There were concerns about a child inside the residence and the fact that Thomas may have had several firearms at his disposal.

The Allen County Sheriff’s SWAT Team, along with the Lima Police Department’s Hostage Negotiation Team were on scene.

It took several hours, but officers were able to safely remove the child and take Thomas into custody.

The woman in the altercation was taken to Mercy Health-St. Rita’s Medical Center where she was treated for non-life threatening injuries.